Target-trap.



H. I. DAVIS.

TARGET TRAP.

APPLzoATIoN FILED 11110.15. 1911.

H. I. DAVIS.

TARGET TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED 111161111911A Patented Dec. 19, 1911 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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H. I. DAVIS.

TARGET, TRAP.

APPLIcATIoHjILED AUG. 15. 1911.

Patented Dec, 19, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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H. I. DAVIS.

TARGET TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED AUGA 15, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

near the lower portion thereof to secure the lower end of the brace and thus the arm 22 otherend engaged by the eye or hook 29 of the threaded bolt 30 which passes through. a

. lug 31 secured `to the outer end of the arni 22 and has a wing nut 32 engaged. thereon, the turning of the wing nut serving to shift vthe bolt 30 and thus to adjust the tension of the spring 28.

To draw the longer end of the lever 26 downward against the force of the Said spring 28, I secured fixedly to thel post 8 near the bottom thereof the brace 33 'to which is pivotally secured the sheave 34 around which passes the flexible connection 35 which has one end secured to the eye 36 on the under face of the lever 26 and has the other end secured to the eye 37 of the rod 38 which extends through oneof the guide eyes 13 of the brace or support 1 4 and has its other end secured to the lower end of -the lever 39 which is'mounted on the pivot 16.

n tion 48.

It will thus bev seen that the rocking of the lever 39 will serve to shift the rod 38 and 4thus to draw on the connection 35 and pull Athe longer4 end of the lever 26 downward,v whileto `secure the end of the lever in depressed position 'have provided the trigger 40. l,Said trigger is pivoted to the outer end of thebrace 83 and has a beveled upper end-41 belowwhich is formed the engaging recess 42 adapted to engage the abutment plate 43 which'is secured-to the lever 26, a spring 44 having one end secured to the brace 33 and'thelother end secured to the trigger above its point of pivot. serving to ull the trigger into locliingengagement with the plate 43. To release the trigger against the tension of the spring 44 to allow the spring 38 to throw the longer arm of the lever 26 upward, I secure to the lower end of the trigger the connection 45 which passes aroun theA sheave 46 secured to the block 3 forward of the lower end of the trigger and then passes rcversely and is secured to the eye 47 on t-he end of the rod or connec- Thc othelend of .said connection 48 is pivotally secured to the lower end of the lever 49 which in turn is pivoted at 50 to the bracket 17. The said lever 49 is adapted to be either manually shifted or shifted by the foot to release the trigger and allow the arm 26 to fly upward. Tovnianually control the said lever 50 l form thereon the rearwardly and upwardly extending bell crank portion 51 to which is secured the' connection 52 extending upward to the bell crank controlling handle 53 pivoted to the lever 15 near the upper Vend thereof, pressure on the handle portion of said lever 53 drawing on the connection 52 to shift the' lever 49 to release the trlgger.`

To allow the gunner to set off the target-Ii" by his foot when desired, I pivot to the base 18 the pedalV 54 having an upwardly extending end connected by the link 56 with the lever 42), pressure on the pedal serving to draw the lower end of the lever rearwardly and tliusto draw on the connections 48 andl 45 to throw the lower end of the trigger 40 forward and cause the upper end thereof to disengagc't-he plate' 43 of thelever 26 and allow said level.' to fly upward. 'l`o normally Yhdld the handle in raised position, l secure to this projection. 55 the helical spring 57 which litslother end connected to the nase 18.

i To cause the end of the leverl 26 to readily engage and throw thc clay balls or rtargets for use in connection with my target trap, l secure to the end ot' said lever the cup or bowl shaped metal receptacle 58. while to feed the target to said ball receptacle 58, I

employ the guide trough or chute 59 which is supported in inclined position by the braces 60 rising from the base 1. Said trough of chute may be connected with any suitable. hopper for containing the targetsv 61, but in the drawings I have shown the' preferred hopper which is made in the form .of a spiral track 62 for containing the balls,

this form of hopper enablingI nie to containv a maximum number of balls i'nqcoinpact space without any liability of the balls becoming packed together and thus the failure of Ythe device to operate. flow of the balls into the receptacle 58 and to prevent a pluralityof balls from passing out of the end of the chute 5,9, I form in the lbottom of the said chute a pair of slots G3. in v which are slidably engaged the gates 64 and 65. Said gates being pivotally secured at their lower ends to one end of the control ing lever 66, while passing through the/said level' 66 between the lower ends of the two gates and also passing through the ears (i7 of the brace 68 is the pivot pin 69 fer-'piv- To control the otally supporting the lever 66 in ppsition.`

A spring 70 having one end-secured to the discharge chute and the other end to the,`

otthe forward end of the lever 66 drawing downward the gateGl. while pressing the gate 65 upward. Said gate will be forced 'upward sufficiently to prevent downward movement ot' any of the targets (Sil before the gate (ift has been s'uliiciently lowered to allow the lowermost targets til. to roll :trom the chute 59 into the receptacle 58, and consequently but one7 the lowcrmost ball or target 6l may pass outward t'rom the chute. ArWhen the arm 26 is released to throw the target into the air, the spring 7() will shift the-lever G6 and thus the gates G-fl and (S5 to draw the gate downward and again raise the gate tilt. This movement ot' the gates will allow one ot the targets to pass downward `into engagement with the gate G4, the space between the two gates being just suilicient to receive one target. In this manner by the time the 'forward end'cf the lever 6 6 is pressed downward the gate Get will be lowered to allow one ball or target to pass downwa rd' while the gate 65 will prevent the other targets from following.

ln the modified construction of my invention the general 'features of construction and the operation ol the device as is heretofore described with the except-ions that the supporting post S of the device has basal flanges 71 which are secured directly to the base il and the lever and various connections for iiivotally swinging the post are omitted` this torni ol the device being adapted merelyu to send the targets in one general diretdion. r .,lhorgh permitting o'lE the adjust ment oli the target throwing lever according to the height and distance at which it is desired to have the target shot.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying draw- .,-mings, the construction of my improved target trap will be readily apparent, and it will be seen that rocking of the lever 3l) will serve to draw on the connections l0 and 12 to rotate the post 8 against the tension of' the spring 19 `to vary the direction in which the target will be discharged, while the swinging of the lever 15 will serve to shift the throwing lever Q6 into target receiving position and the trigger 40 will lock the lover 2G in set position against the tension of the spring 28, these various parts being carried by the post 8 and consequently rotated therewith. To release the lever 2(3- and thus to cause the target to be thrown into the air it is merely necessary to press on the pedal 54 or to frrasp the lever 53 to Ipon the releasing of the trigger the spring Q8 will causo thc-lever 26 to swing on its pivot until the lever hes in alineznent with the spring, when the spring will serve to check the movement oi the lever and the inertia ot the target 3] contained in the receptacle 58 will cause the said target to continue its movement and thus to fly out of the rece tacle into the air where it may be shot at y the gunner.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a thoroughly eiicient and satisfactory target trap which will serve to throw the target into the air and to automatically reload, which may be easily controlled, and which may be readily adjusted to control either the height to which the targets are thrown or the distance they may travel and may also be readily adjustedto varythe direction in which the target will move when thrown by the ejector lever, and that on account of its simplicity of construction and its elliciency of'operation, my improved target trap will readily commend itself to all gunners as being an extremely simple and practical device which they may control elther by the foot when desired merely for practice work or which may be controlled by another person disposed adjacent the gunner when it is desired to use my improved target trap in shooting matches.

To aid in checking the upward move ment of the throwing arm Q6, I secure to each side of the arm 33 carried by the post S the standard 72 which projects upward on each side o the arm 2(3 and have formed in their upper portions the longitudinally extending or vertical slots 73. Slidably engaged in said slots are thc set bolts Tl which pass through the arm 75 ot the yoke member 76 and have engaged on the outerends the wingr nuts 77, tightening otl the wing nuts drawingthe arms T5 into clamping engage-I ment with the standards T2 to hold the yoke in desired adjusted position. Secured to and depending from the central portion of the yoke 7b the somewhat expanded helival spring 78 against which the lever 2G sti-ikes as it is thrown upward the spring 78 thus forming a butter `for the lever, as is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

I claim:

l. A target trap, compris-mg a base, a post rotatably mounted upon the hase and having an annular groove formed therein, a pivot passing through the post, a lever piv'- otally mounted upon the post and bearing a receptacle on one end, an arm mounted upon the pivot, a brace pivoted to the arm and having its other end adjustably secured to the post tor holding the arm in pivotally adjusted position, and a spring having one end secured to the arm' and the other end secured to the pivotally mounted lever 'for so shitting the lever as to discharge a target from thc receptacle carried thereby.

2. A target trap, including a pivotally supported lever bearing a receptacle on one end, a stationary chute mounted adjacent said end of the lever for discharging into the receptacle, said chute having a pair of spaced transversely extending slots formed ninin the under side thereof, a pivoted lever having its point 'of pivotance disposed intermediate ofsaid slots, gates pivoted to the lever and extending upward1 and slidably engaged in the slots, saidflever having one end projecting into the path of movement of the-end of the throwing lever, and a spring' for norinally holding said end. of the lever upward, whereby depression of the end of the throwing lever will causel the saine to bear against the end of the other lever to` depress said end of the lever and. shift the gates.

3. A target trap, including a base, a posi vrotatably mounted upon the base, a throw-- nections between the supplemental lever and the trigger for shifting the trigger out of engagement with the throwing lever to release-the sainea. w i i 4. A target trap, including a post, a pivot passing through the post, a throwing lever pivotally mounted upon one'end of the pivot,

a supporting arm rotatably mounted upon the other end of the pivot,`a brace pivoted to the said arni -and adjustably secured to the post for regulating position of the arm,

" -a spring having one end secured to the end of the throwing lever and the other end adjustably secured to the rend of theI arm for normally holding the throwing lever and' the arm in alineinent with each other, -and ineans for depressing the free end 'of the lever against the torce of the spring wherelby when the free end of the lever is released the spring will serve both to throw the lever upward and also to limit the movement of the lever on its pivot to calise the same to stop with a sudden jerk to satisfactorily throw a target. i v l 5. A target trap, eoinprisinga base, 'post rotatably mounted 'upon tliebase, and hav ing an annular groove formed therein, rneans wound in the. groove andi'adapted Gto be/5; shifted to cause the post to rotate, a spring' haring one end secured to the post andthe other to the base for 'ia'esisting rotation of the post, a throwing lever pivotally secured to the post, said lever having an abutment plate secured thereto, a brace fixedly secured to the post uand bearinga trigger having'a recess for enging the abutnientplataal sheave rotatably secured to thesaid brace, and a flexible connection having-:one end' secured to the throwing leverand passing around the sheave,. wherby'a pull ,onwlie said connection- -serves to depress the throwing lever into position where the trigger will engage the abutment plate carried by said c lever.

G. A target trap,iiicluding a post, a throwing lever pivoted to the post7 means for actuating the throwing lever, a .trigger for looking the lever against the torce of the said actuating means, a target receiving receptacle secured none end of the lever, a spiral hopper having a discharge chute disposed to empty into the discharge chute 'when the lever is held by the trigger, said chute having :i pair of spaced` slots formed in the ybottom thereof, a pivoted leverlhaving fits point' of pivotance disposed intermediate the said slots, and-.having itsiend adapted tov-be engaged by the throwing lever, and gates'pi'vot'ed to said lever andprojeeting upward through the slots in the chute, whereby engagement of the throwing "lever with the end of tlie'other lever will `rock the latter to so'shiftA thel gate as to withdraw one to allow atei-get to passinto the receptacle while the other gateinoves to prevent downward passage of ythe other. targeta l n ln testimony whereof` l aiiix my signature. in the presence of two witnesses.V l

HARRY lRVlN DAVIS., liitnesses l' nenne, n lininiermii. 

